Ente is a fully open source, end-to-end encrypted platform for storing photos, documents and credentials in the cloud, packaged as a monorepo of client apps and a server, and intended for people who want the features of Google Photos, Apple Photos and Authy without having to trust the service provider with their data.

What it is

Ente provides a fully open source, end-to-end encrypted platform for storing data in the cloud without needing to trust the service provider. The repository is a monorepo that holds all of the project's source code: the client applications for iOS, Android, F-Droid, Web, Linux, macOS and Windows, together with the server that powers them. The clients are written in Dart using Flutter, and the server in Go. On top of that platform the project has built three applications: Ente Photos, Ente Locker and Ente Auth. Ente Photos is the flagship product, positioned as an alternative to Apple Photos and Google Photos. Ente Locker is a safe space for important documents and credentials. Ente Auth is a two-factor authentication app built as an alternative to the deprecated Authy. The cryptography and source code have been externally audited by Cure53, Symbolic Software and Fallible.

The concrete problem it solves is that mainstream photo services and authenticator apps hold the keys to user data, so users must trust the provider not to read, mine or hand over their libraries. Ente encrypts data end to end across every platform it ships on, so the server operator cannot read stored photos, documents or 2FA secrets. It replaces the proprietary photo backup subscriptions that most people use by default, and it replaces Authy for users who need a two-factor authentication app that is open source, end-to-end encrypted and actively maintained.

Key capabilities

• End-to-end encryption across all supported platforms for stored photos, documents, credentials and authentication secrets, reflected in the e2ee and end-to-end-encryption topics.
• Ente Photos features: 3x data replication, face detection, semantic search, private sharing, collaborative albums, family plans and background uploads.
• Import and export tooling, described as easy import and easier export, so libraries can move in and back out.
• Ente Auth: an open source, end-to-end encrypted authenticator that is free and will remain free forever, covering the 2fa and authy topics.
• Ente Locker: a dedicated safe space for important documents and credentials.
• Broad client coverage from one codebase, with builds for iOS, Android, F-Droid, Web, Linux, macOS and Windows.
• An AGPL-3.0 licensed monorepo containing both the client applications and the server, so the full stack can be inspected and redeployed.

Who uses it and how

• Individuals leaving Google Photos or Apple Photos who want their photo library to remain unreadable by the storage provider, using import and export to move existing collections across.
• Families and small groups using family plans, collaborative albums and private sharing to keep shared media encrypted while still letting several people contribute.
• Users displaced by the deprecation of Authy who need a maintained, open source two-factor authentication app at no cost.
• Self-hosters who clone the repository and run their own instance rather than using the hosted service, keeping both the data and the server under their own control.
• Organisations that require an audited cryptographic design before trusting a storage service, pointing to the Cure53, Symbolic Software and Fallible audits as evidence.

Getting started

The hosted option is the service at ente.com, which includes 10GB of free storage on Ente Photos, with apps distributed through the App Store, Google Play, F-Droid, Obtainium and desktop downloads for Linux, macOS and Windows. The alternative is to clone the repository and self-host the server alongside the clients.

How it compares

It is a direct replacement for Google Photos and Apple Photos, and for Authy in the two-factor space, but unlike those proprietary products its source and cryptography are open under AGPL-3.0 and can be audited, cloned and redeployed. Because the platform is end-to-end encrypted, the operator cannot read the data it stores, which removes the trust assumption that the closed alternatives require. The cost model differs as well: Ente Photos is a paid service with 10GB of free storage available, and Ente Auth is free and will remain free forever, so the free tier applies to the product that has no paid alternative in the closed ecosystem.

When to use it — and when not to

A self-hoster takes on operating the server and keeping the multi-platform clients building and updated, and the README itself does not document the self-hosting path in any depth, so the hosted service is the practical choice for anyone who does not want to run infrastructure. The project carries 229 open issues, which is worth weighing against the steady commit activity shown by the most recent push. Anyone unwilling to accept AGPL-3.0 obligations, or who needs a managed service with published self-hosting documentation, should look at the hosted offering rather than the repository before committing.